St Catherine’s Hospice is celebrating the launch of the 25th anniversary of its ground-breaking lottery.

The Lostock Hall-based charity was the first hospice in the UK to introduce a lottery scheme in February 1993.

The St Catherine's Hospice lottery team is celebrating the scheme's 25th anniversar

It remains one of its most reliable means of fund-raising, with more than 17,000 members helping to raise more than £500,000 every year.

It makes an important contribution to the £3.5m the charity has to raise each year to cover their £5.2m running costs.

Sheila Kennard, head of lottery and promotions at the hospice, said: “I started out as a lottery collector for St Catherine’s in 1994 and came into the promotions department four years later.

“I’ve witnessed the lottery scheme grow and we have some members who have been supporters since day one, which is amazing.

“It was an ambitious move to be the first hospice in the UK to launch a lottery initiative, and it continues to be a vital means of generating funds.

“The lottery has raised a staggering £10.2m for St Catherine’s since its inception, which is something we’re very proud of.

“Knowing we have thousands of supporters who pay their £1 a week really helps in planning for the future at St Catherine’s; it’s a reliable and steady stream of income which is more important to the charity than ever, as the world of fundraising is increasingly unpredictable.”

To celebrate their milestone anniversary, the lottery team is hoping to recruit an extra 2,500 new members in 2018.

It costs just £1 a week to play, with a jackpot prize of £2,000 up for grabs each Friday.

Sheila said: “We’re so grateful to all of our wonderful members, and are taking this opportunity to thank them for their ongoing support.

“We’re calling on our communities to help us celebrate this special milestone by telling their friends and family about this worthwhile and very easy way of supporting StCatherine’s Hospice.